Sylvania



(No Model.) 3SheetVS-'Sheet 1. E. P. SLENT-Z & J'.v B. MGGREW ELECTRICRAILWAY.

No. 424,364. Patented Mar. 25, 18940.-

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(No Model.) r 3 sheetsshed 3.

l E. P. SLENTZ 8v J. B. MGGREW.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

10.424,364. Patented 143.1225, 1890. f

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EDMUND P. SLNTZ, OF IDLEVOOD, AND JAMES D. MCGREV, OF PITTSBURG,ASSIGNORS OF THREE-EIGI'ITHS TO JOHN A. SNEE, OF PITTSBURG, PENN-SYLVANIA. Y

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 424,364, dated March25, 1890.

Application iiled August 13, 1889. Serial No. 320,604. (No model.)

To all 107mm/ t may concern: ity has to be maintained to obtain enoughBeit known that. we, EDMUND P. SLENTZ and surplus power to run the cars,especially dur- JAMES B. MCGREW, residents, respectively, of ing the wetseasons of the year, when the Idlewood and Pittsburgboth in the countyof conduit-trough is apt to bemore or less filled 5 Allegheny and Stateot Pennsylvania, haveinwith half-melted snow or water. 55

Vented certain new and useful Improvements The object of our inventionis to overcome in Electric Railways 5 and we do hereby declare thisserious drawback which attaches to that that the following is a full,clear, and exact class of electric roads, and we accomplish descriptionof the invention, which will enable this in a simple and effectivemanner by ren- 1o others skilled in the art to which it appertainsdering the conducting-strips from which the 6o to make and use y thesame, reference being car takes its powerdeadorinactivethroughhad totheaccompanying drawings,whichform out the entire length of the route,except for a part' of this speciiication, and in whicha short distancecorresponding, approXi- Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view7mately, to the length of the car, which (the i5 on a vertical plane, ofour improved electric car) as it advances over the track gradually 65railway, showing a car upon the track. Fig. and automatically shifts theactive portions 2 is a plan view of the underground conduit of theconducting-strips from one section of with its appurtenances. Fig. 3 isa perspec the same to another from the beginning to tive detail view ofone of the conduit-boxes the end of thet-rack and in advance of the zoand apparatus for automatically breaking line of travel. rlhisprogressive rendering 7o and closing the electric circuit over a givenactive by sections ot' the conducting-strips distance or portion of theconduit. Fig. i is which supply the car with power for its pro a sideview of the saine device or apparatus pulsion is accomplishedautomatically and with one side of the inclosing-boX broken mechanicallyby the car itself, substantially 25 away. Fig. is asimilar view of thesame apas will be hereinafter more fully described. 75 paratus, but atright angles to the view shown Reference being had to the accompanyingin Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan of the same. three sheets ofdrawings, the letter A desig- Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional viewthrough nates the underground trough or conduit in the vertical planeindicated by the broken the middle of the track. (Shown at B.) At

3o line marked oc c in Fig. 2. Fig. S is a longia suitable distanceapart, which should cor- 8o tudinal sectional view on a vertical planerespond to the length et the cars used on the through line y y in Fig.2. Fig. 9 is a detail line, (say about sixteen feet, more or less,) areview of the circuit closing and breaking dclocated boxes O, whichcontain the mechanvice which forms a part of the apparatus, and ism forshifting the active sections of the con- 35 Fig. l0 is a detail view ofthe device for reducting-strips as the car progresses over the 85volving the movable bearings for the circuit line. Running through theseboxes, aswell as closing andbrcaking device shown in Fig. 9. through theintermediate trough-sections A,

Likeletters of reference denote correspond are the insulated line-cablesD and D', susing parts in all the figures. pended from or supported uponsuitablehang- 4o Our invention relates to electric railways ers orbrackets E on opposite sides of the 9o of the type in which the conduitand electric troughsAand boxes O. Passinglongitudinally cables arelocated under ground, the workthrough the middleof thetrough-boxesaretheing current being conveyed to the electric uninsulatedor nakedconducting-stripsFand motor in thecar by means-of contact-brushes F',which are simply flat strips or bars of suit 45 at the lower ends ofarms affixed to the car able inetahalso carried by but insulated from 95and projecting down into the conduit-trough the cable-supports E, saidstrips F and F through a narrow slit in the covering-plate. runningthrough the entire line of conduit In this type of conduits it has beenfound and boxes parallel to and betweenthe lineeXtremely difficult toprevent great waste by cables D and D.

5o leakage, so that a current of high potential- In the space betweenthe insulated cableD roo and its corresponding naked strip F is located,1n each of the boxes C, a vertical fixed upright or standard G, theupper end of which forms journals H for the horizontal bearing l of aVhollow cylinder or cylindrical box J closed at both ends and containinga ball or sphere K of metal. The free end of the cylinder .T is

v supported movably in the bifurcated head L of another standard M,which is, however, movable around its'own axis, its lower end beingstepped loosely into a bearing N in the bottom of the box, while itsupper end is inserted loosely through a guide bracket or bearing O,projecting inwardly from the adjacent side of the box, so that saidstandard M, with its forked head L, is free to revolve in its bearings Nand O. This movable or revolving standard L M forming, as we have seen,a bearing or support for the outer end of the movable cylinder, isprovided near its lower end with four arms or projections P, arranged ina horizontal plane at right angles to one another. Each of these armsconsists, in the present illustration of this part of our invention, ofj two plates or strips of steel or other tough and elastic metal (seeFigs. G and l0) a and ZJ, the inner vends of which are fastened in therevolving standard M, while their ilarin or divergin g outer ends arebent toward and overlapping each other endwise, and c0nnected movably bya headed bolt c, fastened to one of the arms Ct and projecting through aslot CZ in the other arm b. rlhe arms a and b have placed between themat their widest part, or point of greatest divergence, a stout i spiralspring e, which acts as a buffer or cushion, as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The upper ends of the forked head L are rounded, as shown at Z, and arealso rounded or beveled on their inner sides, as shown at fm, so thatwhen the standard M, with its forked head or saddle L, is given aquarter of a turn it will lift the free end of the cylinder up into aninclined position, as shown by the dotted lines-z'. e.. inclined fromthe saddle L toward the fixed bearing G. lVhen, on the other hand, theapparatus is in its normal po* sition, cylinder J will be inclined inthe opposite directioinviz: the end resting in the saddle L is then thelowest point and its hinged end the highest, which position isillustrated in full line on the drawings. Vhen the cylinder is in thelatter or normal position, the interior ball or sphere K will of courserest in the lowest part of the cylinder just above the saddles; but whenthe cylinder is tilted into the other position (shown in dotted lines)bya one-quarter revolution of the saddle then the ball will by its owngravity roll down into the other end, which is then the lowest. VVithinthis end of the eylinderare placed two insulated metallic contact-platesQ and R, one of which Q is connected byan insulated wire q with theline-wire within the insulated cable D, while the other R is similarlyconnected by an insulated wire r with the appropriatenaked.conductingstrip F. Under normal conditions, therefore, the currentcannot pass from cable D into strip F, but when the cylinder is raisedor tilted the ball, rolling down into that end, will rest or bearagainst and establish metallic connection between the two contact-platesQ and R, thus permitting the current to fiow from cable D through thewire q, contact-plate Q, ball K, plate R, and wire r to the naked stripF. The current is ,again broken or shut o the moment the free standard,a standard adapted to revolve around its own axis and provided withprojecting arms or wings at its lower end, constructed as described, abifurcated head or saddle, and a pivoted cylinder adapted to be moved ortilted in a vertical plane parallel to the sides of thebox, and providedwith its appropriate contact-ball, contact-plates, and insulated wiresconnecting`- said plates with respectively the line-cable and the nakedconducting-strip. rlhe only difference is that the position of thissecond cylinder with its appurtenances is reversed-4. c., bothcylinders, while parallel to each other, tilt or swing in oppositedirections when actuated or operated by their respectiverevolvingstandards M and saddles L.

Having in the foregoing described the construction of our apparatus, weshall no w proceed to explain its operation, which is as follows: Eachcar is provided at opposite ends with a downwardly-projecting arm or barS, of such dimensions that it will enter and run freely in the slitinthe plate covering the conduit trough and boxes in substantially thesame manner as the grip-levers used on cable cars. As the car is startedalong the track the forward arm S will strike the arms or wings P of thetwo revolving standards M M in the first box, and thereby give to eachot' these a one-quarter turn, which tilts their respective cylindersinto the position shown in dotted lines, thereby closing the circuit onboth sides between the pair of strips F F appertaining to the first boxand its appropriate conduit-section. As these conducting-strips F and Fare not continuous, but broken into lengths of appropriate sizecorresponding to the length or distance between the two depending armsof the cars, which are arranged endwise in close proximity to oneanother, as shown in Fig. l, it follows that only that particular lengthor section of strips F and F which appertains to that particular box isrendered active by the closing of the circuit between it and theline-cables, the connecting-strips over the remainder of the line beingdead or inactive. The motor within the car is su pplicd with power fromthis act- IDO IIO

ufl

ive section just underneath the car by contact-brushes in the usual way,brushing against the strips, and as the car leaves the portion of trackover this active section the rear arm S will in its turn strike thewings P, and thereby tilt the circuit-closing cylinders back into theirnormal position, thus shutting off the current from the line-cables tothe conducting-strips. At the same moment the forward arm of the carwill have reached and operated the apparatusin the next box, therebyrendering the next section of conducting'- strips F F active, and so onover the entire length of the line, the forward arm S opening and therearward arm closing the circuit which renders active the appropriatepair of conducting-strips F and F appertaining to the particular lengthor section of track over which the car is moving and from which it is totake its power.

By constructing the operating` wings or arms P, as described, with thebuffer-springs e they will receive the blows of the depending arms Swithout injury, and will also cause the standards M to revolvesmoothlyhand easily and without jarring. By using' four of these wingsupon the revolving standards instead of two, cars may be run forward orback upon the same track, as the apparatus may be operated from eitherside with equal facility and certainty of operation.

Ilavin thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Paten t of the United States l. In an electric railway, thecombination, with two insulated conductors forming the electric circuit,of a series of conducting-strips, a cylinder connected with said stripsand conductors and journaled at one end in a fixed support and its otherend resting in a rotating support by which it is raised and lowered, aball or sphere in said cylinder, actuated by gravity tol make electricalconnection between the conductors and strips, and means by which thecylinder-support is rotated automatically, substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway, the combination, with a continuous cable anda series of broken conducting-strips, of a cylinder journaled at one endin astand ard and its other end resting in a rotating o1' revolublesupport, insulated plates in the end of the cylinder in proximity to thejournals, wires connected with said plates and with the cable andconductingstrips, respectively, a ball or sphere located in saidcylinder and actuated by gravity to make electrical connection betweenthe plates in the cylinder, and means, substantially as described, forrevolving the cylinder-support automatically by a moving car,substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric railway, the combination, with a continuous cable andbroken strips,of a cylinder journaled at one end in bearings in a fixedsupport, a revoluble support having a bifurcated head in which the otherend of the cylinder rests, insulated plates in the interior of thecylinder, wires connecting the plates with the cable and strips,respectively, a ball or sphere in said cylinder, actuated by gravity tobe brought into and out of contact with the plates to make and breakelectrical connection therewith, and means whereby said support isautomatically rotated by the moving' car, substantially as described.

4. In an electric railway, the combination, with a continuous cable andbroken strips, of a cylinder journaled at one end in a fixed support, arevoluble support having a bifurcated head in which the other end of thecylinder rests, conducting-plates in the interior of the cylinder,insulated therefrom and from each other, wires connecting said plateswith the cable and strips, respectively, aball or sphere in saidcylinder, actuated by gravity to make and break electric contact withsaid plates, and projecting arms secured to the revoluble supportagainst which a depending rod or bar on a moving' car is adapted tostrike and rotate the support, substantially as described.

5. In an electric railway, the combination, with a continuous cable, ofa series of conductin g-strips with which the brushes of a car areadapted to engage, an upright having a bifurcated end, a cylinder havingjournals working in bearings in said bifurcated end, a revoluble supporthaving a saddle at its upper end in which the other end of the cylinderrests, metallic insulated plates in the cylinder, wires connecting saidplates, respectively, with the cable and conducting-strips, a gravitysphere in the cylinder, a series of spring-arms on the revolublesupport, against which a depending bar or arm from a car is adapted tostrike, substantially as described.

6. In an electric railway, the combination,

IOO

with a continuous cable and a series of conducting-strips, of a iixedsupport G, a cylinder J, journaled in the upper end of said support, theplates Q R in said cylinder insulated therefrom and from each other,wires q i', connecting said plates, respectively, with the cable and thestrips, a sphere K in said cylinder, actuated by gravity to make andbreak connection with plates Q R, a revoluble support M, having a saddleL, in which the free end of the cylinder rests, a series of arms securedto support M, each consisting of two strips of metal a and Z), the innerends IIO of which are fastened to the support M, while their flaring ordiverging ends are bent toward and overlapping each other endwise andconnected by a bolt c, and .a spiral spring e, interposed between thestrips c l), substantially as described.

7. The combination, in an electric railway,

of a track, a ear adapted to run on said track, an underground troughsituated between the rails of said track and having a narrow slit oropening, and a series of equidistant boxes, depending arms extendingfrom the car through said slit into the trough, an insulated'cable,naked separated strips arranged in pairs at ders and actuated by gravityto make and z break electrical contact with the plates,

spring-arms on the revoluble supports, by which they are rotated by thedepending arms on the ear, and electrical connections between the nakedstrips and the motor on the car, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing` as our own we have hereuntoal'lixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUN D P. SLENTZ. JAMES B. MCGREW. \Vitnesses:

L. H. MATHEws, WM. WATSON.

